22/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Commission's spokesperson, Amelia Torres, has confirmed that the services under Mario Monti, Competition Commissioner, had received a letter from the Portuguese Transport Minister concerning the plan to acquire a stake in Air Portugal by the SAIR Group, the parent company of the airline Swissair. To date, there has been no notification in good and due form concerning this project but only informal discussions, stressed the spokesperson, adding that, at this stage, one could therefore not expect a decision from the Commission on this issue. The operation is a tricky one as it could pose competition problems on certain European airlines. The SAIR Group controls the Belgian airline Sabena that is linked to Air Portugal through agreements.